If you go to our old friend Google and punch in ‘van life,’ you’ll find over 5 billion results, and the top two sites are getting around 7,200 monthly searches combined. Take this search to the Gram, and a whole new world emerges: over 16 million posts with the hashtag #vanlife—almost three million under #vanlifediaries. Nearly three-quarters of a million are under #vanlifeideas.
Lots and lots of people out there are considering, or living, the #vanlife. And who can blame them? After the world lost its mind in 2020, remote job opportunities exploded.
Remote freelancing platforms like Upwork exploded, giving tech-minded Zoomers a great way to escape the rat race and live however they like.
But there is more to the #vanlife story. Housing prices have continued to hit all-time highs month after month, yet entry-level wages are not keeping up with them, not to mention huge price increases in groceries (I have six kids; you better believe that I’ve felt it).
Zoomers are largely becoming disenfranchised and frankly can’t keep up. How can you afford $1,800 monthly rent plus the other stuff when your take-home is only $2,200?
Suddenly, living life as a digital nomad, hitting the national parks, and maybe even driving down to Mexico doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. A used minivan for a few grand and a few grand in converting it, and you’ve got yourself not only a converted van but a veritable home on wheels.
But what about the more boring aspects of van life? The plate, the registration, and the paperwork related to the van itself? I’m here to make that stuff as exciting as humanly possible while telling you exactly what you need to know about the less-talked-about aspects of van life.
Before we do, let’s qualify exactly who this information is for.
Is 'Van Life' Homelessness? What About Full-Timing?
I love the questions posed on a Google search under ‘People also ask.’
Is Van Life considered homelessness? Well, it’s kind of hard to argue that it isn’t. You don’t have a permanent address in a traditional sense, you don’t have a home, and you are always on the move.
But more to the point, what exactly is van life? As an RVer myself, I am familiar with the full-timing movement and community. And it’s a big community! The total numbers are impossible to track down, but according to many sources, it’s in the ballpark of a million people or more.
But full-timing is a little bit different. Full-time RV living involves an RV (yeah, I know that should be obvious), which is either a motorhome, a slide-in (which is closer to van life than full-timing, in my opinion), or a trailer. Trailers are the most common because they are the easiest and cheapest RV options, and in many cases, people already own an adequate tow vehicle.
A decent used travel trailer (towed by a bumper hitch) can easily be scooped up for under ten stacks, and basically every full-size pickup, Suburban, and Tahoe made since 2000 came from the factory with a Class III hitch (Class IV on a lot of ¾-ton & 1-ton trucks) and a standard 7-way trailer socket – the minimum kit you need to hitch up and hit the road. Brake controllers are cheap and simple to install since there are pigtails available for all major auto manufacturers, so it is an easy plug-and-play to add another level of safety and security to your setup.
But there are some real limitations for full-timing. Even a short travel trailer is limited to where they can be taken because:
Travel trailers have low ground clearance.
Even a shorter trailer is still a long rig and is limited to where it can be taken.
Off-road/overlanding trailers are able to navigate tough terrain, but are small and spartan and are often not ideal for long-term living.
Extra-large motorhomes and 5th-wheel trailers are so large that they can’t even use many existing campgrounds. This isn’t surprising; a 46’ 5th wheel is only slightly shorter than a standard over-the-road box trailer (Swift, Target, Walmart, etc.).
You are a target in parking lots because you stand out in an RV. A plain van is not going to get anyone suspicious unless you stay in the same spot for days.
A van, on the other hand, goes anywhere a standard car goes. If you (when you) have to travel through a major city, a converted van is no different than driving a car through traffic.
Where do you start?
How does one go about starting their journey into van life?
First, you need to accept a few truths:
There is no space. You will be spending your days outside; the van is mainly for sleeping.
Pre-converted vans are expensive as hell.
It is not glamping.
My RVs are both pretty good-sized units, around 34’ and 37’, and yet they are both substantially under 400 total square feet of living space. This gets pretty cramped! But a van?
No square footage. The bed takes up the entire back end, so usually it is just some slide-out drawers and cubby holes or shelves. And to top it all off, a fully converted Mercedes Sprinter can set you back up to one hundred grand. To me, this is beyond insane. You can buy a decent used pickup and travel trailer for twenty grand combined. Finding an older motorhome in good shape with an odometer way under 100k for fifteen thousand or so is no challenge. And yes, these units are fully equipped with a modest fridge, a real furnace and air conditioner, and multiple beds.
You might get some work done at a laptop or lounge with a cup of coffee in the morning, but unless the weather is absolutely terrible outside, after a few weeks you won’t be in the van more than you have to.
The true appeal of van life
The appealing part of van life is that you can go so many places, and again, largely unnoticed. RVs absolutely stand out. There are a lot of places (most Walmarts, but it is not a company-wide policy) where you can stay overnight with an RV, but they expect you to move along after a day or so.
A van? Easy. But you still don’t want to sit around in a Walmart parking lot for days on end. Vans are a great way to get out and explore, and with millions of acres of federal land available to roam around and stay on for free, they make the most sense in that context.
The best application of living the van life is to explore places that you can’t really see in an RV or motorhome (Skoolies are still sort of in this van life equation, though). Of course, the big limitation is living itself: you have a severely dwindled ability to store food, and there is no water storage to speak of. If this doesn’t bother you, then go for it. But be aware that you won’t be able to sustain yourself all that long. Even with a solid solar setup keeping your technology charged up, you will have to stay fairly close to civilization for food and water, let alone showers.
Alternate view: "Why I quit the van life"
This is strictly my opinion, but I can understand how you could probably last a few years full-timing in an RV, especially late model units that are already solar-ready or solar-equipped and are made to feel quite spacious despite their compactness.
Keeping the trailer around 30’ will fit almost all RV parks and state and federal campgrounds. Since they have full kitchens, bathrooms, and full-size sleeping arrangements, they are much more akin to a house than a van.
To me, a van will never be a house. It will never be more than a vehicle that takes you to the destination. It provides you with shelter that is much better than a tent, but it isn’t really much more than a metal tent, if we’re being honest.
This is why one of the top hits for searching van life is the NY Times piece on how much it sucks. Now, let’s be honest: if you try to do van life in the city, you are effectively homeless. What would indicate you are not homeless when you choose to live the #vanlife in the city?
My advice? Take van life for what it is:
Although many think that it could be, it is not a permanent solution for most people.
It is a great way to see the sights and go places that RVs can’t go.
When you have seen the sights, sell it off and get a house somewhere cheap, or upgrade to a real RV to go out full-time.
Price? Sky’s the limit.
How cheap is van life?
Van life is all about how cheap you want it to be.
You can buy a used Ford or Chevy work van and do the work yourself and probably be on the road for ten grand or less. Or you can buy a professionally built unit and be in the hole for tens of thousands.
You can eat cans of beans and tuna because their shelf life is forever, and they don’t cost anything, or you can eat out every single night.
If you drive all over the country, you are going to spend a lot of money on fuel. But you might not want to stay put too long since there is no space to do anything besides sleep, and there’s a lot to see out there.
But since you can park almost anywhere (yes, even residential streets) without drawing much attention to yourself, van life can be absurdly cheap. A paid-off van with no cost to park is very cheap, indeed.
One quick note: You don’t need a couple-year-old Sprinter 2500 dually or a fully-kitted Ford E250 with Quigley four-wheel drive just to get down a gravel road to a campsite. In fact, most van lifers agree that you don’t need 4WD at all unless you’re navigating snowy or muddy terrain on a regular basis.
Essential van life gear
You will need some basics to live the van life. First, you will want power converters. Unless you have thousands just stashed in the bank, you’ll need to work. You need all your things charged and staying charged. Also, creature comforts like a coffee pot are clutch.
A basic tool kit is the most practical item ever, so buy one and use it.
You will want to get a high-quality rear hitch rack because storage is an issue. Keep as much of your non-valuable stuff outside as possible in a hitch box or a roof box.
To be honest, you will also probably need a small generator. It’ll cost a lot less in the long run than relying on your van engine to power your stuff, but you still need a power inverter.
So, is van life worth it?
That really depends on you.
If it were me, flying solo, and I wanted to see all of the lower 48 states and maybe Alaska, then it would be awesome. Especially if visiting America’s National Parks was on your list.
In that case, I think van life would be awesome as a matter of functionality and utility. But if it’s me today – with the wife, a couple of kids, and the family mutt? Travel trailer and quad-cab pickup, all day, every day. You need that square footage when you have kids that get restless. The weather is not always good; sometimes, the weather totally sucks. If it’s just one person, you can just sleep through the day, or work, or go to Target and walk around. But if you have a family? Misery.
"Van Life Is A Lie" – Just Do It Yourself
Okay, so is Van Life a lie? No. It is not.
Van life is an idea and a lifestyle. If you go into it thinking it is glamorous, you will be disappointed. If you spend more on a van conversion then you could buy a small Midwestern house for and act shocked when you’re broke, I can’t help you and you’ve probably missed the point of #vanlife entirely.
Many people assume that commissioning a van build must be cheaper than those DIY YouTubers make it out to be. But trust me, if you want a turn-key swanky-looking van with all the creature comforts of home already added, you can get into “actual house” territory pretty fast – even post-COVID. That is, unless you turn a few wrenches yourself.
That lump of cash may not get you a mansion, but for many, any house is better than no house.
But if you are self-sufficient and want to explore crafting your own van conversion, and you don’t need it to say Mercedes on the front, you can do it pretty cheap. For example, this 2012 Chevy Express could probably be talked down to $7,000-$7,500 and only has 131k on the odometer.
For $2,000-$3,000 in materials, you could finish it out to be a very livable van, and mechanical parts for the van are easy to find at every small-town parts store in existence. Also, the LS engines are excellent and should give you plenty more miles down the road.
My advice is this: if you are handy and not afraid to learn by doing, then buy yourself a used box van on the cheap (think about getting a used U-Haul truck to convert).
A U-Haul van can be a great place to start a van life conversion!
How about a used U-Haul?
On a lark, I did a quick Google for used U-Hauls, and after I followed their X account, it turns out that this is a thing! There’s a guy who goes by Nomad Brad who converted one of their 15’ box vans for full-time #vanlife travel and living.
Make sure to check him out on Instagram.
U-Haul regularly sells their fleet vehicles, and from what I see, the prices are pretty fair. The cool thing is that they sell them in-house, so you don’t have to go through some third-party auction lot.
With price points like those above, it’s not hard to think about giving it a shot. A 17’ box truck still fits in all standard gas stations and parking lots but provides a lot more space to build a living space. And if there’s one vehicle we all trust without a second thought at some point in our lives, it’s a moving van.
Final Verdict: How To Live The Van Life
Perhaps the best way to look at van life is in terms of dos and don’ts.
Here are a few suggestions:
Do buy a used van and do the conversion yourself.
Don’t blow more than the price of a house on a professionally built conversion.
Do it if you are flying solo or taking your partner and maybe a dog.
Don’t if you have a family.
Do if you want to see all the sights and don’t want to pull around a cumbersome trailer.
Don’t if you want the amenities of a house. You won’t have many of those.
Do if you’re up for an adventure.
Don’t if you live in the city and don’t plan to travel. This is called homelessness, and you will spend all of your time AND money trying to find places to park that you won’t get kicked out of.
This list could go on and on. Here’s one thing you need to weigh heavily when you go off to do van life: where do you register and title your van? Can you do your home state or state of residence? Of course you can. But what if it’s California, and you must provide proof of a passing smog check to register it? Why would you do this when you’re going to be on the road all the time and not staying put in Cali? Why register in your home state if your home moves?
Why not title and register in Montana instead? Dirt Legal uses an LLC for proof of residency, so you can register your vehicle in Montana no matter where your domicile is, even if it is nowhere in particular. And once your van is over 11 years old, it will have permanent registration. That’s right: you’ll never have to pay for registration again. No emissions tests, no inspections, and no DMV to worry about while you’re roaming the world.
If you think #vanlife is for you, check out our Montana LLC registration program; it’s the final step in untethering yourself and truly embracing van life.
Images from Wikimedia Commons.
RVs and trailers can get salvage titles from just about anything. From heavy rain to road debris, it’s important to know what you’re getting into - and if that title says “junk” you’ve likely bought exactly that.